Soul Society, Shin'ō Academy.
At this moment, the main hall of Shin'ō Academy is packed with a large number of students and teachers in school uniforms.
Today is the academy's annual graduation ceremony. As a member of this year's graduating class, Nan Yecheng is among the students waiting for the ceremony to begin.
"Yecheng, which division are you going to join later?" The person who asked Yecheng was a man with narrow eyes, a rather fierce expression, and a head as shiny as a steel ball.
Because the bald head reflected the sunlight so brightly, almost no one besides Ayasegawa Yumichika, who had a very good relationship with Ikkaku Madarame, was close to them.
"Didn't I tell you back in the academy? My ideal division is the Fourth Division. If that's not possible, I'll join the Thirteenth Division. In any case, there's no way I'd be as crazy as you and join the Eleventh Division!"
The Gotei 13, a crucial part of the Soul Society, is a special force that maintains order in both the Soul Society and the Human World. Souls who can join the Gotei 13 are generally considered to be "in the system," and they are the only ones who can be called a "Shinigami."
Shin'ō Academy is an institution in the Seireitei that trains Shinigami. Souls with good aptitude and strong spiritual power from the Rukongai typically enroll here to study the "four arts of the Shinigami" (swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, flash step, and kidō) and become trainee Shinigami.
After their training is complete, the leaders of the Gotei 13 divisions arrange for members to come here and recruit new members.
The beings living in the Soul Society, whether they are ordinary souls or Shinigami, are essentially spiritual bodies and generally don't have a lifespan limit.
However, being a spiritual body doesn't mean you can't die. For the impoverished people in the Rukongai, becoming a Shinigami in the Gotei 13, while a great job within the system, is often accompanied by an extremely high mortality rate.
For this reason, every year on graduation day at Shin'ō Academy, divisions of the Gotei 13 that are short on members come here to recruit.
In the spacious hall, the graduates are bustling about, looking at the banners representing the various divisions and beginning to ponder their future lives.
Getting a job within the system right after graduation seems great, but most Shin'ō Academy graduates are well aware that joining the Gotei 13 is extremely risky. One wrong move and you could be [cremated on the spot].
So, when choosing a division, the students of Shin'ō Academy are extremely cautious. After all, once a division is chosen, it is almost impossible for an ordinary Shinigami to switch divisions halfway through.
There is no such thing as absolute fairness in the world, and no matter where you are, there will always be class differences.
They are neither from the Four Great Noble Houses nor do they have a [backer], so they are just [small fry]. It's already good enough that they can get a job in the system, so they don't have the luxury of being picky.
At the very least, compared to the ordinary souls in the Rukongai who have to starve at least two meals a day, the job in the Gotei 13, while a bit dangerous, has pretty decent benefits.
"No way! Are you really planning to join the Fourth and Thirteenth Divisions? I always thought you were joking before. You're so good at the four arts, and you're planning to go to the medical and purification squads? That's too ridiculous! Why don't you and Yumichika join the Eleventh Division with me? The Eleventh Division is a combat squad. Passionate fighting is a man's romance. With your strength, are you planning to go there to retire?"
Yecheng, Ikkaku Madarame, and Ayasegawa Yumichika met in the Rukongai.
Because of the chaotic order in the Rukongai, Yecheng had some conflicts with them, and they fought.
It was because of that fight that Yecheng formed a certain friendship with the two, and they all came to Shin'ō Academy together.
Ikkaku is a righteous person who doesn't admire many people. He was always a leader in the Rukongai until he met Yecheng and another man named Kenpachi.
The fight with Yecheng was okay; although he was defeated, at least he was knocked out after an evenly matched fight.
But when he faced the man named Kenpachi, Ikkaku was completely overwhelmed and crushed without any ability to fight back!
Afterward, Ikkaku heard that Kenpachi had gone to the Seireitei and become a Shinigami in the Gotei 13. So, to follow him, when Yecheng suggested going to Shin'ō Academy, Ikkaku agreed without hesitation and even brought along his good buddy Ayasegawa Yumichika.
"Who's joking with you? What do you think I've been training kidō for? It's to become an excellent medical ninja... Ah, no, to become an excellent member of a healing division. A muscle-brained guy like you wouldn't get it. Fighting alone is just heroism, and my ideal is to be a silently contributing support worker."
When he said this, Yecheng's face showed a sacred and [heavy] expression. If an unfamiliar person saw him at this moment, they might even be moved by his spirit.
However, Ikkaku and Yumichika had known Yecheng for many years, so upon seeing his behavior, they both couldn't help but complain at the same time.
Ikkaku: "You're just afraid of trouble, aren't you?"
Yumichika: "No, I think he's afraid of dying... Sometimes I really don't understand. Yecheng's strength is clearly one of the best among this year's graduates. But in every assessment, he always keeps his scores at a mediocre level. Isn't it good to attract attention because of your excellence? Or are you afraid of something?"
Compared to the muscle-brained Ikkaku, Yumichika is definitely an intellectual. He noticed it as soon as they entered Shin'ō Academy.
Among the Shinigami's "four arts," he can't say for sure about hand-to-hand combat, flash step, or kidō, but having fought Yecheng before, he knows that Yecheng's swordsmanship is at an extremely high level. Yet, every time he's assessed, his scores are always below average.
And when Yumichika and Ikkaku ask him why, Yecheng always says things they can't understand and are quite bizarre.
For example, "[If you're not the protagonist, don't try to show off]," and "[Being too outstanding might get you noticed by some research lunatic]."
At first, Yumichika thought Yecheng had some enemies in the Seireitei, but after many years in Shin'ō Academy, everything has been calm, and no one has bothered Yecheng. So, Yumichika started to believe that Yecheng just had a simple case of paranoia.
However, this isn't surprising. After all, how many people who have lived in the Rukongai have a completely normal personality?
Yecheng's strength is not bad, and his looks are the only ones Yumichika has ever seen that can rival his own. It's normal for him to have a few other flaws.